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“Used it as a way to pay for the conference, she said. She’s hoping to help solve the hunt and land a cover story.”
Sasquatch frowned. “Sounds kinda fishy. She using you?”
I blew out a breath, considering. “I guess that crossed my mind, but I don’t really think so. If I didn’t know her at all andsomeone told me what I just told you, I’d assume the same thing. But”—I shook my head—“No.”
“Okay.” His tone encouraged me to go on, and for a minute or two I just let the words spill out, retracing the evolution of my short time with Emily and concluding with the night we spent in the hotel.
“She’s just...I can’t really explain it. I feel more okay with her.” I didn’t know how to verbalize that it felt like Emily was pushing aside this curtain I didn’t even know was there, and I could see a whole world on the other side of it that we might go explore together someday.
Sasquatch smiled and his eyes shone. “I get that, man.”
“I told her. About Shazz.” Shazz was Jake Schaeffer’s callsign.
My friend’s brows rose. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“And?” he asked. “As far as I know, that topic is pretty much off limits.” It definitely had been. Until now.
“I mean...It’s not, but I guess I can see why you guys probably feel that way. Not something anyone enjoys reliving, you know?”
“Of course. But, how was it? Telling her? How’d she react?”
“Like you’d expect, I guess. Except, I didn’t really have expectations. And she was just kind, and forgiving—as much as a total stranger to the situation can be.”
“Did it take any of that weight off your shoulders?”
I lifted one of the shoulders he’d referred to. “Maybe?” It had, I thought.
“You think you guys might stay in touch then? When the conference is done? Try a long-distance thing?”
“I hope so.” I hadn’t thought a lot about what would happen when Emily left, but it was definitely creeping into my thoughts now, after the night we’d spent. I stared into the remnants of my whiskey for a second. “It’s quick, I know. But I feel like hershowing up here is kind of a sign. Like she’s the thing that finally knocks me loose. Part of me wants to believe she’s the one for me.”
“Then go for it.”
“It’s a little crazy, though.”
“I don’t know much about love, Ghost. But I do know a fair bit about crazy. And when you put the two together, I can tell you a couple things. Number one, love doesn’t roll around often. And if you’re even thinking that’s what it could be, I’m guessing that’s what this is. Number two, love comes in a matched set with this other asshole—fear. Do not let that douchebag win.”
I laughed at his description. “Noted.”
“Fear tries to ruin things. Kick fear’s ass and take what life owes you.”
“Okay.” It was good advice, phrased in Sass’s less-than-traditional way. The guy wasn’t going to be hired to write greeting cards, but he made a point.
“You deserve to be happy, Ghost. And this shit happens when you’re not looking for it.”
“Thanks.”
We talked a little longer about the shop, about his plans with CeeCee to develop their own Kasper Ridge line of gear, and then I headed back up to the resort.
There were two things I really wanted to do after I checked to make sure everything was on track with the conference: check out room 515, and find Emily. Not necessarily in that order.
Chapter Nineteen
Playing with Numbers
EMILY
